The
University of Illinois at Chicago will serve as the battleground for
the growing debate over what constitutes the canon of great books. At
issue are the divergent attitudes between conservatives who hold the
traditional great books in high regard and progressives who feel that
the current canon is often racist, sexist, and exclusionary of minorities
and non-Western literature.

Exploring
the use of great books as tools for dialogue, resistance and dissent
will be the subject of a two-day conference held at UIC, "The Idea
of the Great Books: Canon and Community, On and Off Campus." The
conference, open to the general public, will take place April 26-27
at the UIC Institute for the Humanities, Room B2 (lower level), Stevenson
Hall, 701 S. Morgan St.

"As
an urban institution, UIC, along with the English department, need to
consider what role the great books play in the curriculum," said Lennard
Davis, head of the English department. "How do books like those of Toni
Morrison weigh against those of Dickens or Homer?"

The
conference will bring together presenters from a range of disciplines
and professions, including literature, history, cultural studies, education,
publishing and politics. This forum will provide an opportunity for
provocative debate and discussion. Ilan Stavans from Amherst College
will provide the keynote address.

For
registration, contact Becca Kopf at (800) 222-5870, ext. 237. Registration
closes April 12. See the attached conference schedule. The first two
sessions on Thursday and the last two sessions on Friday are free. Registration
is $75.00 ($15.00 for students) to attend all other conference panels
and events.

The
Great Books Conference is co-sponsored by UIC's English department and
the Great Books Foundation, which promotes the reading of great books
in groups around the country. For more information about the conference
contact Lennard Davis at 413-2203.

Thursday,
April 26

11:30 a.m.-12:30
p.m.

Registration

12:30-1:15
p.m.

Plenary Session-Ilan
Stavans, Amherst College, keynote speaker

1:30-3:30
p.m.

"The Problem
of the Great Books." David Neidorf, St. Mary's College of California;
Paul Trout, Montana State University; Stanley Corkin, University
of Cincinnati; Phyllis Frus, University of Michigan

4-5:45
p.m.

"The Great
Books as an Educational and Social Movement." Sidney Hyman,
author; Jonathan Freedman, University of Michigan; William Noble
Haarlow, University of Virginia

"Canons and
National Culture." Andrew Wachtel, Northwestern University; Richard
Esbenshade, University of California, Santa Cruz and University of
Illinois at Urbana-Champaign; Ronald Schindler, scholar